This invention is concerned with a device for displaying indicia in the form of symbols, colors, pictures, words and other visual representations. The device can also be used for displaying storing and dispensing articles.
In the past, many devices have been described for displaying predetermined indicia such as letters or numbers or combinations thereof. Exemplary of these devices are yearly and perpetual calendars which generally comprise a fixed or movable cover having a plurality of apertures spaced apart from one another beneath which a card bearing predetermined date numbers and month or weekday titles is mounted and can be movable or stationary with respect to the cover. By moving the card or cover, the correct dates of any given year, (year, month, day of the week, day of the month) are displayed through the apertures. Such devices are described for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,429,096; 2,499,329; 2,768,459; 1,373,744; 2,668,382; 2,009,630; and 3,800,454.
These prior art devices are generally characterized in that the card is movable, slidably or otherwise, with respect to the cover or the cover with respect to the card in either one or two directions, as for example solely horizontally or solely vertically, and that the user of the device must himself move the card or the cover in the proper direction and the proper distance to expose the predetermined display on the card through the apertures. This is generally accomplished by pulling a tab connected to the card or by inserting an instrument into a slot on the card and shifting the card or moving the cover over the card, or by operating a simple gear mechanism which engages the card or cover. Moreover, in the case of devices such as perpetual calendars the overall design of the card and cover is relatively complicated. The apertures must generally be divided into year apertures, month apertures, week apertures and day apertures in order to display all the information arranged on the card.
The present invention however provides a device for displaying indicia in the form of symbols, colors, words, pictures and other visual representations including articles to be dispensed from the device, which device is simple in design and requires that the user merely rotate the device in a substantially vertical plane to display and to change the indicia. No sliding, pulling, gear movement or any other means for moving any element of the device is required.